What are you brewing?

[nzbrewer]

Since this is the most popular thread on the RealBeer.co.nz forum I thought I would start it here just to see what happens

[Martin Bridges]

A whole lot of brewing going on this cold weekend. Here's my contribution:

Tasty-ish APA (very close to Tasty McDole's APA recipe)
3.15kg Maris Otter
1.25kg Pilsner malt
0.4kg CaraPils
0.18kg Crystal 60L
0.18kg Wheat malt
10g Chinook mash hop
Mashing at 67 degrees for 60 mins

Then we go multi-layered with the US hops:
6g Warrior @ 60
7g Simcoe @ 20
7g Columbus @ 10
7g Northern Brewer @ 10
7g Simcoe @ 1
9g Centennial @ 1
25g Cascade @ 0

Dry hop will be:
15g Centennial
25g Columbus
15g Simcoe

Yeast is Wyeast 1056 American Ale. Aiming to ferment at 19 degrees although that'll be a bit dependent on the weather.

Water has been treated with a whack of Calcium Sulphate plus a few other bits and bobs.

Aiming for an OG of 1.056 and 39.5 IBUs, so not too bitter but loads of hop aroma.

[denimglen]

Freaky deaky, same beer I brewed yesterday.

[Martin Bridges]

Wow - a comparison will be required!

[denimglen]

Indeed.

Tasty is the man, planning to brew his brown ale next.

[Barry]

My take on Classic New Zealand Draught. Not aping what currently exists in the style, more correcting it to actually taste good. 3.2kg Maris Otter .5kg Munich .2kg Crystal .2kg Victory (Martin Bridges home-toasted, yum) 30gm Pacifica 60min then Pacifica / Dsaaz / NZ styrians 5/5/5gm 15min 5/5/5gm 3min 1.040, 24.2IBU S05

[denimglen]

NZ Amber ale? Tasty!

[Bambule]

That's a fine idea. I've been thinking about why isn't there a beer produced that straddles craft brewing and yet has mainstream appeal, even if only a regional basis. Classic New Zealand Draught, everyman (or woman) sort of beer. Beer that could be drunk in rural NZ (like Wairarapa) with pride without being seen to stray from the flock. Maybe its a dream...
I had a taste of this when I lived in Adelaide. Coopers was the local beer, you went to the pub and thats what your drank, even the crap pubs had it. Fairly simple & unpretentious but unique and perfect for the climate. People felt pride in it as it was local and independant. Alright I'll stop now.

[Barry]

Cheers Bambule. I have the same sentiment, why doesn't something like this already exist. When I dreamed it up on the weekend I was considering sending a bottle to Lion and DB with a letter posing the proposition: why isn't this your base beer?

It's the beer I'd like to think my [Lion Red drinking] Dad would drink. A beer that doesn't come in a green bottle. A beer that is the best seller in the provinces (Dorklanders can keep their Heineken eh). A beer that inspires parochialism much like Waikato Draught does for all my Dad's old schoolmates. A beer that comes in a stubby, not a longneck. A beer that you'd find in your small town Cosmopolitan or Workingmans club, or the RSA. A beer that would only set you back $5 a pint (a real pint).

Of course if the big guys thought it would take off they'd up-market it, call it craft, charge a premium, stick it in a clear bottle etc. And once it established itself as a brand, progressively water it down.
God I'm a cynical bastard of late.

[Bambule]

>A beer that comes in a stubby, not a longneck. A beer that you'd find in your small town Cosmopolitan or Workingmans club, or the RSA. A beer that would only set you back $5 a pint (a real pint).
Yes, yes, yes and yes. Why not. We've seen with Mild ale, its not going to break the bank to brew it but, if well crafted, is no less delicious then say an Emersons pilsner or an epic if your in the mood.

To join in your cynicism, any brewery that ran with this idea with any success is only going to be bought and then appropriately rebranded.

[Greig McGill]

Call *me* a cynical bastard, but I don't see the point. Why replace one sea of identical labels with another? Even if the quality is upped, it's still not exactly striking a blow for choice or diversity is it?

[Barry]

Nope. Totally correct, it's not. But it is a striking blow for flavour.
Those parochial types are all about one beer for life, I say let them.
At least this way I'd be able to walk into a supermarket or pub and drink something that I'm OK with. As it stands right now I can't.

[denimglen]

What about Harrington's SID, Kiwi Draught, Heritage Draught?

How do these beers go down in ChCh?